Better Than One
by Ziirroh
Summary: The third installment to the famed RWBY relationship week 10/12/14 - 10/18/14. 1) Emerald & Jaune, 2) Yang and Jaune, 3) Jaune & Junior, 4) Junior & Blake, 5) Ruby & Emerald, 6) Emerald & Cardin, 7) White Rose
1. Dance If You Want To

**A/N: I missed the first day, cuz I wasn't paying attention to the rwby tag on tumblr and wasn't really on tumblr much anyways, so pleh. I might do an extra at the end to make up for it, but we'll see. I have a theme sorta set up for this week's drabbles, I hope you find it neat.**

**Edit 1/21/16 [ALL]: Grammar fixes and minor tweaks.**

**Tarantism - The urge to overcome melancholy by dancing.**

* * *

A sigh, a glance. This night wasn't exactly how she wished it could be.

Standing a ways from the crowd of dancing students, Emerald absentmindedly swirled the punch she had gotten in the cheap plastic cup she held. She hadn't taken a single sip from it, her thoughts already too distracted by more immediate things.

Her gaze zeroed in on two particular figures among the throng of students; her annoying partner in crime and her illustrious leader. Another sigh escaped her lips while she watched longingly as the two glided across the floor.

Emerald absolutely despised the sight, but she couldn't bring herself to look away. She was quite envious of Mercury, being able to hold Cinder so close without anyone thinking anything more of it.

If it were the other way around- if she were to be dancing with Cinder in that way- they would certainly draw some unwanted attention, and Cinder would not have appreciated that, as it could potentially expose them.

Emerald nearly crushed the cup in her hand at the unfairness of it all, but a voice brought her out of her musings.

She blinked several times and finally focused on the person in front of her. It was a blonde haired boy with bright blue eyes, which were looking into her own with concern.

She recognized him straight away; the leader of team JNPR, which Pyrrha Nikos was a part of. Jaune Arc wasn't it? She had to ponder for a few seconds over his name, his unimportance to their motives made him quite forgettable.

Emerald soon found herself no longer caring about keeping up her facade to be nice, and was about to say something vindictive just to get him to go away, but then she noticed his attire and had to stifle a laugh instead.

Jaune looked worriedly at the dark-skinned girl, a fierce disposition alighting in her crimson eyes before a very unlady-like snort sounded.

His expression became quizzical as he tilted his head to one side, watching her as she was trying to cover her mouth with her free hand.

"What are you wearing?" Emerald managed to say after calming down.

Jaune smiled good naturedly, glad to see that the girl was not in some sort of distress.

"I made a promise to someone." He said with a shrug.

Emerald had returned to her previous countenance, looking at him with disinterest, but Jaune could still see a hint of a smile in her eyes.

"So what did you want?"

"Well I was asking you if you were alright, and it seems you are though I feel that's not entirely true."

Emerald regarded the blonde boy thoughtfully, for someone who didn't look like it he sure was insightful.

His statement had drudged up her earlier thoughts, eliciting a glare past the boy's shoulder towards Mercury still dancing with Cinder. Jaune noticed this and followed her gaze, some understanding dawning on him when he realized what she was looking at.

"Ah, so you wanted to dance with him but she got to him first?"

Emerald's harsh glare then turned on him, making Jaune flinch just from the intensity of it.

"Was I right?" He said tentatively.

Emerald released a frustrated sigh, rolling her eyes at his question. "You've got it wrong. It's not him I want to dance with."

Why did she go and say what she was thinking? Next thing she knows she'll be blabbing their whole plan.

She expected Jaune to bail then, the revelation probably too odd for him. However he didn't budge, instead he seemed to be thinking hard about something until a look of sudden clarity showed on his face.

"Oh, I see, so you wanted to dance with that girl." Emerald shook her head in irritation at how the once seemingly intuitive boy suddenly became a complete idiot. "Have you asked her to a dance yet?"

Emerald was growing weary of Jaune's badgering. "No, I haven't. She probably wouldn't like the idea of two girls dancing. Probably not her kind of thing." Emerald said with some spite.

Emerald then deflated a little at the truth of her words. Jaune noticed her snarky attitude turn melancholy and had an idea, hoping it would cheer the girl up.

"Well, if it's not too much to ask, would you like to dance with me?" Emerald looked at him appraisingly and scoffed. She was about to decline his offer, but Jaune cut her off before she could start. "Hear me out before you say no." He looked at her pleadingly and Emerald caved, deciding to entertain him for a while longer before she throttle him.

"I was thinking that since I'm wearing a dress it'd be like you're dancing with a girl, and maybe we can get that other girl's attention, and maybe make her want to dance with us after seeing how much fun we're having."

Emerald almost wanted to laugh in his face about how futile his plan was. Cinder was not the type to be so easily swayed by emotions, so there was absolutely no way she would ever join in a dance with them just because it "looked fun".

However the idea of dancing and just letting loose seemed more appealing than stewing in a corner for the rest of the night.

"You know what, why not. Let's go weirdo." Emerald said as she strode past him.

Jaune was delighted that she accepted his offer, glad to get her to stop moping and hopefully have some fun.

Emerald found herself dancing with the other members of team JNPR and had to admit, even though she was technically fooling around among the enemy, she was really enjoying the moment. She didn't have to worry about what Cinder thought, and she could relax and not always feel threatened by everything and everyone around her.

Needless to say it was a great night, and in the end she found herself grateful for Jaune's meddling.


	2. Bold Words

**Strikhedonia - The pleasure of being able to say "to hell with it".**

* * *

**Strikhedonia - The pleasure of being able to say "to hell with it".**

**Title: Bold Words**

Jaune sat idly on a bench, one of many that occupied a large courtyard with a fountain as its centerpiece. He was slumped as far as he could go without slipping off, his head resting against the back of the bench.

He had been like this for quite some time, observing the curly wisps of clouds as they lazily traveled across the expanse of the bright blue sky. He closed his eyes, thinking over what was causing him to feel so gloomy, when a familiar teasing voice called out to him.

"Hey there Vomit Boy. What are you doing all by your lonesome?"

He opened his eyes and straightened up to find Yang approaching him, her golden curls bouncing as she jogged over.

She sat down next to him and gave him a grin that he halfheartedly returned. Yang dropped her cheery demeanor, realizing that Jaune wasn't looking too happy.

"Hey now, why so mopey buddy?"

Jaune sighed tiredly, a bit reluctant to tell Yang his problem. "It's nothing really, no big deal, so don't worry about it."

Jaune shrugged and tried to play it cool, but he could tell Yang wasn't buying it and decided it would be better to tell her now rather than have her force it out of him.

"Promise you won't laugh?" He said in earnest, searching Yang's face anxiously.

Yang nodded and made a cross over her heart with her forefinger. Jaune steeled himself for what he was about to say, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"I've never cussed before." He said in a rush, clenching his eyes shut in expectance of laughter.

He only heard a snort, and upon opening his eyes, found that Yang was not stifling a laugh.

"Meh, that's no big deal Jaune. Plenty of people choose not to cuss." Yang shrugged indifferently.

"But that's the thing." He said in dismay. "I want to cuss, but for some reason I can never get the words out. I always end up saying some sort of buffer term instead."

Yang could see that this issue seemed to bother Jaune a lot. She decided not to wave him off again, and pondered over his problem.

"Why do you want to be able to cuss anyway? It's not like it's anything great."

"Well, you see, it never really bothered me before. I was fine with not having to use profanities at all."

"What made you change your mind?"

"Quite honestly it's kind of dumb." Jaune said sheepishly. "I just feel like a kid when I say fudge instead of- well, you know- that other word. There, see?" Jaune had his head in his hands now, his posture looking like he was at a total loss.

"I guess I can see where you're coming from when you put it like that."

Yang began playing with the tips of her hair, twirling the golden locks around her finger as she considered Jaune's dilemma. It didn't take her long to figure out a solution.

"I think I have an idea." Jaune raised his head and looked at her expectantly. "How about you start small. Instead of just going straight for the more profane words, use something else that can be considered bad, but not as bad."

Jaune nodded his head, a look of hope in his eyes. "But what word would be considered 'bad, but not so bad'?"

Yang thought it over, going through the many words she knew of that weren't too heavy. She finally settled on one, a word often used in one of her favorite phrases.

"To hell with it." Yang said to him with a grin.

Jaune was confused at what she said, at first thinking Yang had given up helping him, but soon he realized what she was implying.

"Oh. Ooooooh, okay I get it."

Yang nodded sagely at him. "Good. Now, you need to say the word. Go ahead and use the same phrase. It's kind of fun to say." Yang instructed him.

Jaune nodded vigorously, mentally preparing himself to utter the word. "O-okay, here goes. To h-he-heck with it." Jaune groaned into his hands as he found himself reverting to a safer word.

Yang was patient with him though, urging him to try again.

"Okay Jaune, you got this." He whispered to himself before going at it once more. "To h-hell with it."

Yang grinned at him, gesturing with her hands in encouragement for him to repeat the phrase.

"To hell with it." Jaune said tentatively, still testing how the word rolled off his tongue. "To hell with it." He said again with more confidence. "To hell with it!" He was now enthusiastic, raising his voice a bit more in excitement at being able to say it with more ease.

Jaune then sprung off the bench, looking towards the sky and shouting loudly.

"TO HELL WITH IT!

Yang laughed then, a bit surprised at Jaune's outburst, and finding it funny how much he was into it. "Okay there commando, don't get too cocky now. A professor might hear you."

Jaune immediately became shy, quickly dropping into the seat stiffly and looking around worriedly.

Yang couldn't help but snicker at his antics. "Oh man Jaune, you're a riot. Don't freak out, I was only kidding. None of the teachers really have the time to go outside."

Yang pat him roughly on the back, knocking the air out of him from the unexpected strength. "Well since you've managed to get that out, want to head back to the dorms? We were about to have a movie marathon to educate Weiss on the wonders of children's movies."

Yang nudged at his side with an elbow, waiting for his answer. "Well, I was supposed to study and take notes on an upcoming test in Professor Oobleck's class..." Jaune trailed off momentarily, a small smile forming as he made his decision. "But you know what, to hell with it."

The two shared a laugh at that, and both made the trek back to their dorms while discussing what movies they should watch.


	3. Move Along

**Ayurnamat - The philosophy that there is no point in worrying about events that cannot be changed.**

* * *

It was a slow afternoon for the club, not too surprising considering construction was still being completed on the damages "sir" blondie had caused. Not to mention the door she broke recently, making the appeal to the club diminish significantly.

It was fairly quiet with music playing softly in the background, some patrons lounged about chatting away while his goons went about re-arranging things.

Junior busied himself with cleaning the drinking glasses behind the bar. He didn't want to see a single stain on their crystalline surface when customers came in at night.

A noise of raucous laughter caught his attention, and he looked up from behind the bar to see a familiar face.

"Speak of the devil." He grumbled under his breath.

Yang strode through the busted doors confidently, two goons looking at her with distrust as she passed by. She merely gave them a nod and wink that didn't alleviate their wary gazes. The rest of team RWBY and JNPR followed closely behind her, Jaune and Ruby were somewhat timid, while the others looked around curiously.

"Hey there Junior! Did ya miss me?" Yang shouted jovially.

Junior grunted acknowledgement, continuing to clean the drinking glasses. "What brings you here blondie, still looking for some information?"

Yang waved her hand dismissively, then looked at him with a pout. "I just thought I'd come visit an old pal. I can't believe you would assume I only come when I want something." Yang feigned hurt, smiling shortly after. "Just wanted to hang out with some friends, so don't worry about us causing any trouble, unless you start it first."

Junior scoffed at the poorly veiled threat. "Don't worry blondie, I don't plan on getting my estate ruined even more."

Yang nodded at him and then ushered her group towards a booth nearby.

Eventually more folks came trickling into the club, the music was then turned up and the drinks were served.

Yang's group stayed to themselves most of the time. Junior was thankful that Yang kept her promise of not causing any trouble.

When Junior finished serving some patrons he noticed the blonde boy from Yang's group seated alone at the bar. He seemed down in the dumps, and Junior let his curiosity get the better of him as he approached.

"Hey kid."

Jaune was startled by the voice, practically falling out of his seat in a bundle of nerves. "Oh, uh sorry. Do you want me to move?"

"Nah kid, I noticed you sitting here alone and not with your friends over there. What's eating you?"

Jaune shifted his eyes nervously between Junior and his friends, when he felt that they wouldn't be interrupting them anytime soon he spoke.

"We were supposed to come out here to celebrate completing our missions, and making it through another semester, but I feel like I don't deserve celebrating anything." Jaune glanced to his group, laughter rising up from them, and he had a half-hearted smile.

"Why do you think that kid?" Junior prompted.

"I've been such a screw-up." He said with a sigh. "I haven't really been the best hunter or friend."

Junior nodded in understanding. He's heard plenty stories like his from various customers coming into his bar. Some in drunken sob stories and others in a melancholic sobriety.

"C'mon kid, it can't be all that bad." Junior tried to reassure him.

"But it is! All I've done is be a nuisance to my friends. I kept on bothering Weiss to go out with me even though she clearly wasn't interested, and then I totally ignored my partner Pyrrha when she needed to rely on me, I'm absolutely useless in combat and a hindrance to my team. What kind of reasons are those to celebrate for?"

Jaune slumped his shoulders and bowed his head dejectedly. Junior looked at him with sympathy. The kid was still too young to be so harsh on himself like this.

"Alright kid, now see here. I'm going to tell you something and you better not forget it." Junior waited until Jaune looked up at him before continuing. "Sure you made a few mistakes here and there, and as much as you wish you could change them you can't. Things have been set in stone and there's no use moping over it."

Jaune seemed even more disheartened than before, but Junior wasn't finished yet.

"But that's just the thing kid. Whatever it is, the thing has already happened and it's better to just man up and face the consequences. Dwelling on past mistakes shouldn't be something that controls you, it should be something you learn from. Trust me, I would know."

Junior glanced over at Yang, seeing her cheery and boisterous and not destroying his club for a third time.

"Besides, it seems like you must have fixed you problems judging from what you've said, so that's a start to mending some of those issues and proof that you're learning from them."

Jaune seemed to take his advice to heart, seeming much better than he was just moments ago. He regarded Junior in a new light, disregarding some of the things Yang had said about the man earlier.

"You know, for a club owner you sure are wise." Jaune said to him with a smile.

"Heh. Kid I'm not wise, just telling you a thing or two I picked up from other customers and from personal experience."

"Well thanks anyway sir. I think I needed that."

"No problem kid. Now go back over to your friends, it looks like they're missing you."

Jaune turned in his seat to look at where his friends sat, and sure enough they were looking at him anxiously, but when they noticed his attention on them they began waving him over.

Giving a final word of gratitude to Junior, he hurried back over to them, already being enveloped in their laughter.

Junior had resumed serving customers and cleaning glasses. Every time he looked over at the group of teens, seeing all of them having a good time, the corner of his mouth would raise a little.


	4. Otiose Catcalls

**A/N: Time to go AU yo, in which Junior is a high school student along with Blake. Also decided to go by Junior's actual name for once, cuz for some reason Junior is starting to feel awkward.**

**Sphallolalia - Flirtatious talk that leads nowhere.**

* * *

Hei Xiong was the kind of kid that everyone wanted to hang out with. He was that cool kid who played on the tennis team, which he was dubbed the prince of. It was simple to say that he was a ladies man. Popular among many of the girls at school, though he hadn't dated any of them.

He figured it would be better to play the classic lone wolf figure for a while before settling on any one girl. However, that line of thinking came to an abrupt end when he laid his eyes on a girl whose beauty outmatched any other.

He found her in the library one day, himself being in the area to grab an assigned book required for his economics class. Hei planned on opening his own business in the future, so his economics class was one of the few classes he was genuinely interested in.

When he found his book in the far recesses of the library he happened to discover a small alcove. Upon further investigation he found it to be a quaint little spot hidden away very well from the other students. The library staff was obviously aware of the place, for there were two small lounge chairs placed perpendicular from each other and a small round table in the middle of the area.

It was here he found a dark haired girl adorned with a bow atop her head along with the school uniform. She was resting against the arm rest of one of the chairs facing away from him. A book laid splayed open against her propped legs and she seemed to have not noticed his presence.

Hei stood still, stunned at the discovery of this mysterious girl in the equally secretive hide-away.

It took him a moment to gain his senses, a slight dusting of pink spreading on his cheeks in embarrassment at his behavior. Steeling his nerves he began to approach the girl with what he hoped was a confident stride and stood before her.

She didn't seem to notice him at all, seemingly far too absorbed in her novel to pay any attention to the presence of another person. Hei cleared his throat, jolting the girl out of her fictional world and back to reality.

The girl had sighed in irritation before looking up at Hei with a bit of a scowl. The sight irked him somewhat, his instinct at being challenged riling him up a little before he snuffed it out.

"Can I help you?" The girl spoke her voice was deep and melodious, unlike anything Hei had ever heard before.

Mentally preparing himself, he smirked down at her and exuded an air of confidence. "If you don't mind, beautiful, you could start by giving me your name."

Hei felt rather smug at his flirting tactic, but his pride was pummeled into the ground by the girl's next words.

"I'm sorry, but I don't see any reason I should _give_ you that information." She regarded him with a glare, making him feel like he was shrinking under her gaze.

Hei was stubborn though, and encouraged himself to continue anyway. "Well, may I know what I should call you by then?" He tried again more politely.

The girl seemed to like this approach, her voice not holding the same hostility moments prior. "Blake. Blake Belladonna. May I have your name?"

Hei was a put off at the bluntness of her answer but went on to answer her question without skipping a beat.

"You've got to be kidding babe, you don't recognize who I am?" Hei gestured to himself with an expectant look directed at her. Surely this girl knew who he was.

Blake seemed to dwell for a moment before answering coldly. "Sorry, I don't remember the people I don't care about."

Hei felt like he was shot by an arrow through his chest, his pride wounded once again by this beautiful, but harsh, girl.

"I'm Hei Xiong, prince of the tennis team and the most wanted guy in the school."

He watched Blake's expression turned from thoughtful to uncaring as she shrugged off his introduction.

This girl was a tough one, Hei would give her that much, but it made him all the more determined to win her over.

"Sooo…What's a pretty girl like you doing here all by yourself in this gloomy corner of the library." He gestured to the sparse space. "The smell of musty old books is pretty unappealing, though I wouldn't say the same for you." He ended with a wink, hoping his charm would win her over.

Of course Blake wasn't going to be swayed that easily.

"Well this 'gloomy' corner happens to be a favorite spot of mine, and the 'musty old books' are far more appealing than what you have to offer."

Hei had to physically flinch at that one. He had to admit that this girl had quite the bite. It was something he wasn't used to, since girls were usually falling for him left and right.

At last he was becoming frustrated with Blake, ready to blow off some steam by venting it out on her. He stopped himself though, settling his ruffled feathers and opting to just leave instead. She wasn't worth the headache.

He gave her a scowl, which Blake returned with her own. She gave a smug smile as well, knowing she had him beat.

As he turned away from her to head back out to people who respected and fawned over him, her voice called out to him, and he stopped walking out of surprise.

"What's that book you're holding?" She asked him in a subdued tone, her voice quiet but still heard clearly in the still atmosphere.

Hei looked down in his hand and realized the whole reason he was even here in the first place. He had nearly forgotten about the book he had grabbed.

He stood frozen on the spot, not yet willing to move in any direction as conflicting thoughts plagued his mind.

_Why should I show her the book? It's not like she was being at all kind to me earlier. But maybe I can get on her good side with this. Remember how she insulted you? Don't run back to her just because she's got a pretty face. Well, it's not like it was all that bad…besides, maybe I deserved it a little._

Coming to a decision Hei took a deep breath and turned around.

Blake was watching him carefully, her features set in curiosity and what seemed to be a hint of- worry? Nah, no way. He was probably imagining it.

Hei moved closer to her, showing the front cover of his book and explaining it.

"It's just an assigned text for my economics class, though it's not a requirement but for extra credit. It's actually the last copy in stock right now."

Blake skimmed over the title and thought about what he said. She was actually surprised that someone like Hei was serious about studying, even if he behaved like a typical jerk. Perhaps she may have judged him too soon. As the saying goes, "never judge a book by its cover" and Hei certainly held something deeper beyond his first impression.

It turned out that Blake happened to be taking the same class, and she still needed to start on the extra credit assignment as well.

Blake wasn't sure how to approach Hei now, after being so rude to him, even though she felt justified in doing so, she didn't know how to talk to him. She decided that keeping it simple and straight to the point would suffice.

"I happen to be doing that assignment too. If it's not too much to ask, would you mind if we share that book together and work on it back here?"

Hei was incredulous at her proposal. Not just a few minutes ago this girl was dissing him, and now she wanted to work together? He just couldn't comprehend it. He wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth though, and eagerly accepted the offer.

The two were soon caught up in their work, and it didn't take long for them to fall into a comfortable joint effort to give advice to each other on their task.

It was quite amazing how hostile the two students had been towards one another not so long ago, for now it seemed as if it had never happened.

Fortunately for the two it was study hour, and after that it would be lunch, as the time passed by quicker than they anticipated. When the bell signaled lunch to have ended the two found themselves swiftly packing their things away and preparing to head out for their next classes.

While they walked to the library exit and down the halls Hei had decided to ask a question that had been nagging in the back of his mind after encountering Blake and her abrasive demeanor.

"So, what was up with you earlier? You know, when I was kind of hitting on you and it was obviously not working."

Blake chuckled at his wording, and Hei found himself grinning along beside her.

Still smiling, Blake faced him, and her next words left Hei dumbstruck.

"Well it's simple. I'm just not interested in guys."

After that revelation Blake walked into her class and Hei was left so utterly floored that he ended up late to class.

As he sat in his class he found that he couldn't fully concentrate on the lecture, still thinking over what Blake had said.

He shook his head and grinned, finding it typical for Blake to mess with him like that.

Well, if he couldn't have her as a girlfriend at least he had her as a friend.


	5. Awwww the title doesn't fit!

**A/N: Yeeeeeaaaah... Apparently my title is too long to fit so I'll just set it here.**

_**Only the Silver-Tongued Dare to Bite a Poisoned Apple**_

**Malapert - Clever in manners of speech.**

**Druxy - Something which looks good on the outside, but is actually rotten inside.**

* * *

Beacon Academy was bustling with activity. The second semester had begun, and with it the approach of the Vale tournament. Hunters and Huntresses came flocking in from all four kingdoms to participate in the festivities and practices.

It was bright and early in the day when all the visiting students arrived, and team RWBY stood nearby to see the new faces.

It was quite exciting to know that they would be battling some of these people. The fact that many of them were friendly enough to engage in short conversation with them was also pleasant.

Ruby was a bundle of nerves of course, still retaining some social anxiety when talking one on one with so many foreign strangers. Those that did talk with her were quite generous though, being patient with her and encouraging her to speak by saying something to break the ice.

Overall, Ruby had met with many different people and learned a lot about where they hailed from. Of course she also was introduced to their weapons; becoming a more avid conversationalist when she talked about her Crescent Rose.

After having finished a conversation with a hunter from Vacuo Ruby had begun to feel winded, the many exchanges draining her.

Ruby gazed around herself with the intent of finding her teammates. She spotted Yang talking with a robust boy whose hulking figure could be comparable to that of an Ursa. Blake was a bit further away and was discussing some topic fervently with a couple of Faunus students. It took a while to find Weiss, as she was situated across the large courtyard, sitting on a bench near a fountain and chatting with a girl whose uniform indicated she was from Atlas.

Seeing that all of her team members were still busy, she found an empty bench and sat down, the weariness of standing and talking for so long finally making its presence known in her aching legs. She could really use a nice cold drink right now, but she had just sat down and was already feeling encumbered with sluggishness.

It seemed her voiceless needs were somehow noticed; perhaps some kind deity pitied her and bestowed upon her this fortune, for a water bottle glistening with condensation was presented in front of her.

She followed the tanned arm that held the bottle out to her, finding herself looking into friendly cerise pupils. A girl stood before her, offering the cold bottle of water with an inviting smile.

"You looked like you could use this." The girl said and gestured the bottle closer towards her.

"Oh, thanks! I was feeling really thirsty actually." Ruby took the bottle heartily, quickly twisting the cap off and chugging down the nice cool water.

The girl continued to stand there and watch her, waiting for Ruby to finish before speaking again.

"My name is Emerald by the way. I'm an exchange student from Mistral, if you can't already tell by my uniform."

Ruby liked this girl already, she was just as friendly as all the others before her, maybe even more so since she gave her the bottle of water.

"I'm Ruby, it's nice to meet you Emerald. Oh, and thanks for the drink!"

Emerald chuckled earning another smile from Ruby and moved to sit next to her on the bench.

"So, are you excited about the upcoming tournament? Because I sure am! I can't wait to see everyone's weapons." Ruby bounced giddily in her seat, her zealous behavior prompting Emerald to inch away from her.

Of course her first line of thought to start the conversation would lead to a discussion of weapons.

"I guess that's one thing I'm excited about, but what I'm really interested in is the dance that will precede it." Emerald said with a note of excitement.

Ruby had almost forgot about the Beacon Ball that would be going on in a few more weeks. Dancing wasn't really her thing, but for the sake of making her new friend feel comfortable she decided to follow that line of conversation instead.

"I'm not really good at dancing, but it does sound like it would be lots of fun anyways."

Emerald nodded at her, smiling all the while. "Do you want to know why I look forward to the dance more than the tournament?" Emerald asked her.

Ruby nodded her head vigorously, her hair whipping about from the force of it. Emerald regarded her with a smirk before continuing.

"What I like about dances is the planning that goes into it. There's so much attention to detail, and even one miniscule aspect can make the whole party a success or disaster. Then there's the actual event that makes it all the better. The music is entrancing and the dancing can make your heart pace rapidly. The one thing I enjoy about dancing is how similar it can be to fighting. Overall it can be an enchanting experience."

Ruby hung onto every word Emerald said, fascinated by all the things she entailed about the event. It made Ruby all the more eager for the upcoming ball.

"You make it sound so interesting, unlike a certain friend of mine that can make fun things sound boring." Ruby said in a joking manner.

It was then an announcement was made for all the visiting academies to be present at the auditorium for further briefing on their stay in Vale.

Ruby was sad to see her new friend go, but she was sure that she would find her again in due time.

"I guess I'll see you later Emerald. It was nice meeting you!" Ruby waved farewell and went to regroup with her team.

Emerald was smiling warmly and waving back at her until she was sure Ruby would no longer see her. She dropped her arm to her side abruptly, and the once sunny disposition she held was replaced with a glowering scowl.

Trudging away and walking past the auditorium unseen, she slipped behind another building before taking out her scroll. She sent a message to an unmarked receiver, the contents detailing her success at infiltrating the academy.

While she waited for a reply she thought back on her encounter with the target. Ruby Rose was certainly the type of person too easily trusting of others. It was a wonder that Emerald managed to befriend her so easily. Though she could've done without the overzealous optimism oozing from her.

A ping sounded on her scroll and when she read the contents of the message a wicked smile curled on her lips. Phase two was now in effect, which meant Emerald could now have a little more fun in chipping away at Ruby's happiness a little at a time.

First, she had to keep on pretending to be her friend so she could discover every little weakness she had to offer.


	6. Epithet Rivalry

**Lalochezia - The use of abusive language to relieve stress or ease pain.**

* * *

The fight was over in seconds.

Emerald could only smirk as she watched team CRDL get their asses handed to them on the training arena by the renowned Pyrrha Nikos.

It was quite the spectacle and very amusing to see how quickly the team fell apart thanks to their uncoordinated leader.

It was too bad too. They probably could've stand some semblance of a chance if that boy Cardin wasn't so reckless in his attacks.

After the sorry team trudged off the stage for the next battle, she was shocked when Mercury volunteered; never pegging him as the type to go out of his way to do unnecessary things. She had to admit that when the battle between him and Pyrrha had ended with his forfeit it must have been just as irritating to her as it must have been for the battle ready huntress.

When everyone departed from the training area, she waited for Mercury to explain himself, but the only thing he would tell her was that he learned something interesting about the "invincible girl". He wouldn't give her more than that, saying that it would spoil the surprise when they would go to debrief with Cinder later that night.

Feeling vexed at his secretiveness, she decided to speak to the girl herself. She hoped that by apologizing for his thoughtless actions she would get closer to Pyrrha, and perhaps gain her trust in the meantime.

She stayed behind, biding Mercury to go on without her as she had some unfinished business to attend to. Fortunately he didn't question her, shrugging it off and leaving without another word.

Pyrrha had exited the room soon enough and Emerald put on a winning smile as she approached her.

"Hey Pyrrha." She initiated, gaining her attention. "Sorry about my friend earlier, you know, that last guy you fought. He can get a bit pigheaded sometimes."

Emerald made sure to sound as apologetic as possible, and she was thrilled to see Pyrrha give her a smile.

"Why thank you for your concern, but don't worry, I'm not angry at your friend or anything. It just surprised me that he seemed so gung-ho about the whole thing at first, then suddenly backed out of it."

"Heh, yeah. He is pretty careless like that, but at least he's not as terrible as that guy you wiped the floor with before him. What was his name again? The tall ginger one."

Pyrrha was thoughtful for a moment before realizing who she was speaking of.

"I believe you mean Cardin Winchester, the leader of team CRDL who I fought all of earlier. Am I correct?"

"Yep, that's the one. I can't believe you took on four guys at once. Though with their fighting strategy it's no wonder you did. Their leader alone couldn't even handle you." Emerald complimented her, plastering a fake smile all the while.

"They're not all terrible, but their communication does need a little work." Pyrrha noted.

A shout was heard calling for Pyrrha further down the hall, a blonde boy waving to the red-haired girl and urging her to hurry up for some sort of meeting.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I must go now. It was nice chatting with you."

"Yeah, same here."

Pyrrha made a small wave in departure and was soon out of sight.

Emerald felt that her attempt at winning over Pyrrha's trust was working, but it may have to take more than just one conversation to really ensure that.

She was prepared to leave to her own dorm where Mercury was most likely waiting on her, when a large hand grabbed her roughly by the shoulder, effectively stopping her from moving.

Normally, Emerald would have done some maneuver to subdue whoever was touching her, but Cinder had been strict about not raising suspicions, so unfortunately she had to deal with it.

When she turned around to greet whoever held her, her generous façade immediately dropped upon realizing it was only Cardin; someone irrelevant to their plans. Cardin didn't seem all too happy to see her either, a callous frown directed at her.

"First, get your disgusting hand off of me. Second, what do you want loser?"

Emerald was not the type to mince words when she was not putting on a false act, and even if she were, Cardin would be one of the few exceptions during those moments. Cardin seemed somewhat put-off by her sudden change in demeanor. She had seemed like a nice, easy girl to intimidate, but now he saw that wasn't the case.

"I heard you talking crap about me to that Nikos girl, and I don't like what I heard."

Cardin ignored her first command of removing his hand, choosing to make his grip on her firmer instead. His ignorance aggravated Emerald incredibly, compelling her to smack his hand off of her in a show of violent force.

"Hey tramp, watch what you're doing! I may not seem like it but I'm a very forgiving guy. Just apologize for your slander and we can forget about this."

Cardin thought he was being clever by making Emerald be the one to surrender first, but the girl was just as stubborn as her partner, if not more so, and was adamant to not let him have his way.

She sneered at him, her next words laced with spite. "Yeah, you would like that huh. Such a pathetic wimp that can't even admit he got his ass kicked by a girl. I bet that you'll be crying to your mom all butt hurt about how unfair it was."

If Cardin was angry before, he was absolutely enraged now. No way was he going to let this bitch talk to him like that.

"Oh yeah. Well I bet that it's easy for you to beat any guys you come across, since all you have to do is bend over and show them your 'guns'." Cardin jeered back at her with equal ardor; gesturing to her attire as he did so.

Emerald became indignant at the audacity he had to accuse her of such a thing. She lashed out at him with venom on her tongue.

"I would think that with how large that weapon of yours is you're trying to compensate for something. At least I don't have anything to be ashamed of."

Cardin's face tinted pink at her words, but his anger was already far too fueled for embarrassment to hinder him now.

"If we had a battle, one on one, I bet you wouldn't be so tough then would you?"

Emerald measured his words and considered his challenge, deciding that she couldn't pass it up now, lest she look like a coward.

"Fine then, I accept your challenge. Don't cry when I send you bawling back to momma." She hissed.

"I can't wait to pummel you into the ground." Cardin gritted his teeth determinedly.

"I wouldn't count on it."

"Meet at the arena before dusk, it should be free to use by then." And with those final words Cardin turned on his heel and walked away, but not before Emerald put in a final say.

"You can be sure I'll be there, but don't disappoint me by running off with your tail between your legs." She shouted after him.

Cardin only gave a dismissive wave as he chose not to answer her, developing a headache and still sore from the earlier lesson to care about turning back.

Emerald stormed off towards her dorm, grumbling obscenities under her breath all the way.

If anything were similar of the two clashing minds it would be their resolve to completely obliterate the other in this fight.


	7. Fairy-Tale

**A/N: Welp, here's the extrra story. I decided White Rose cuz it's my OTP and the rs week is oficially over so I don't need to foolow its rules. Bwuahah!**

**Duende - Unusual power to attract or charm.**

* * *

Weiss sat at the desk that occupied the space between the team's bunk beds, writing down notes in preparation of an upcoming exam. She didn't really need them since she had the material already memorized, but being idle was something Weiss wasn't good with.

She always had the need to stay in motion, to keep her mind occupied with some task, or else her fingers would twitch with the need to keep active. It was easy to do with classes and missions to constantly keep them busy, but today was a weekend and Weiss could only think of studying to pass the time.

The rest of team RWBY were off doing their own things; Yang went off with Nora to conduct some sort of shenanigans, Blake was probably off in a tree reading a book, and Ruby was most likely eating cookies in the cafeteria.

Weiss didn't mind too much that her team would rather be elsewhere than studying with her. It was the weekend after all. The only real free time they would have to do whatever they please. Though Weiss did feel a bit lonely sometimes.

The noise of a click from the door opening echoed in the quiet room. Weiss didn't bother seeing who it was, as each teammate had their own typical greeting they often used, which was useful for her to determine who entered the room.

"Oh. Hey Weiss, I didn't know you were still in here." Ruby said jovially skipping over to her. "Whatcha doin?"

Ruby rested her chin on Weiss' shoulder, peering down at the notes scattered across the table.

"I'm preparing some notes to study for the exam in Dr. Oobleck's class." Weiss said without any pause to her work.

"Awwww! But that sounds so boring Weiss." Ruby whined in her ear.

"Well, I have nothing else to do." She mumbled quietly.

Ruby nestled against her collar, her breath making Weiss' hand freeze and her body stiffen at the unfamiliar sensation.

"Why don't you come play with me instead?"

Weiss blushed lightly at her words, her mind immediately taking her to less innocent thoughts considering Ruby's position.

Ruby suddenly straightened, swiveling Weiss in her chair so that she faced her.

"We should go outside! You look like you could use some fresh air after being cooped up in here for so long." Ruby said cheerfully.

Weiss deliberated on declining her offer, a sort of reprimand against herself for her lewd thoughts, but the kicked puppy look on Ruby's face made her resolve on that decision falter.

"I…suppose I could take a short break."

"Yay!" Ruby cheered triumphantly shooting her hands in the air.

Weiss watched as her leader dashed about the room excitedly at the prospect of hanging out with Weiss.

Ruby nearly headed out the door before she realized Weiss had yet to follow her.

"C'mon lazy bones, there's no time like the present!"

Weiss smiled at her partner's demeanor, standing up in a much calmer manner and walking out with Ruby.

Turned out they didn't need to travel far for Ruby to start prancing about and performing various athletic maneuvers. Weiss merely followed behind and watched her with mild amusement. Ruby eventually exhausted herself and flopped down on the grass. Weiss pulled her skirt under her before taking a seat beside the hyperactive leader.

"Weiss, you should totally lay down with me. The view looks great." She said, gesturing with wide arms towards the sky.

Weiss would've deigned her with a polite decline to the offer, but it seemed she really had no choice in the matter as Ruby pulled her down anyway.

She had expected to feel the hard earth underneath her but was pleasantly surprised to find something soft instead. Ruby had splayed her cloak to the side, providing a comfortable blanket between Weiss and the ground.

Weiss gave the brunette an inquiring gaze, the younger girl shrugging in return.

"I thought you wouldn't want to get dirty." She said it as if it was the most natural thing for her to do.

Ruby then stared up at the sky and Weiss did the same. The two watched the clouds as they lazily drifted by as well as an occasional erratic bird. It was a really relaxing moment, and for once Weiss didn't feel the itch in her fingers in an urge to do something.

She looked at the girl beside her, whose playful silver eyes were still focused on the bright blue sky above. She took in every detail of Ruby, trying to figure out where in her hair the onyx met auburn and memorizing every feature of her face.

Weiss had never taken the time to stop and observe; always being in constant motion to even bother with the thought.

She felt Ruby shift beside her, her arm moving towards her head, and Weiss believed it was only customary for her to lift her head enough so that Ruby could slip it underneath, providing a comfortable cushion.

It was in this moment, that she had come to realize something about her partner; something she should've noticed long before now.

Ruby seemed to have this strange power to attract people to her. Weiss knew for a fact that she would never imagine being acquainted with the type of individuals she now called her friends if it weren't for her Ruby's presence. Why if it weren't for Ruby's clumsiness on that first day Weiss would never have even known she existed.

It was silly to think she would not eventually meet Ruby under different circumstances, but if she were honest with herself, she would not have their first encounter any other way.

Ruby had lit a spark in her that day and it only continued to grow with every encounter. The tiny embers soon flowering into a strong flame. A flame that burned only for Ruby.

Weiss would never admit it out loud, but Ruby had captivated her unlike anyone else in her life.

She only hoped that she had charmed her too.


End file.
